NBA's unicorn
There is a lot of hand-wringing about Kawhi Leonard joining the Lakers, becoming the most dominant trio since Moe, Larry and Curly were running comedy back in the day.
Let's cut into the layers of that on a couple of levels.
First, the practical perspective. If they get Kawhi on a max deal, that would be four players on the roster and almost all the cap accounted for.
Not even the Hickory Huskers could overcome 5-on-4 odds. (My team is on the floor.)
Well, Chris Broussard, the former ESPN NBA insider who has moved to Fox, posted on Twitter that Danny Green and Seth Curry could come at a discount and that the Lakers could be the leading contenders to get Andre Igoudala (when Memphis buys him out) and Rajon Rondo on veteran exemptions.
Friends, LeBron-Kawhi-AD and those four vets listed above, and good night. It's Lakers vs. the field and everyone - even Stewwie - knows it.
In a stylistic way, if Kawhi Leonard goes Purple and Gold, I love the theory of LeBron going full Magic Johnson in terms of playing style and treating AD like Kareem and Kawhi like a super-combo of Worthy and Scott. Heck, goes as far as having LeBron announce before the season that you have every intention of leading the NBA assists. Pledge to join the Big O and Westbrook Triple-Double for a Season Club.
(Side question: If, and yes, this is a still pretty big if, but if Kawhi does go to the Lakers, shouldn't LeBron be named executive of the year in 11 months?)
If Kawhi does not pick the Lakers, well, Seth Curry and Danny Green are still play, but Green has long been thought to be heading to play wherever Kawhi does.
Some other NBA names that could be added are Marcus Morris, Jeff Green and DeMarcus Cousins.
As for the big picture angst among NBA analysts and fan bases about how this next super team would destroy NBA balance and parity, well, when has the NBA ever had balance and parity?
Try 1970s, when the league was almost bankrupt and the NBA Finals games were shown on tape delay after the 11 p.m. news.
The 1980s, yeah, maybe you heard of some of those super teams.
The 1990s, again, dominated by a super team led by a super man.
The 2000s, some parity - and the game struggled in the post-Jordan, where's the super teams years - but the Spurs were pretty dominant, no?
The 2010s have been LeBron's team and the Warriors, and I still contend that the Warriors healthy last year walk the Raptors to the parking lot.
The NBA has always been about super teams, friends.
But now we're just upset about it because the players are assembling them rather than the teams assembling them, which seems at least silly and somewhat hypocritical.
Shohei, part II
I am all in for the expanding skill sets of baseball players.
This time last year, I was all about some Shohei Ohtani, the Angels pitcher/DH who was hurling and hitting with the big leaguers last year. Before tearing his elbow and needing Tommy John surgery, he finished 2018 with 22 homers, 61 RBIs and 59 runs with a .285 average in 326 at-bats and 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 Ks in 51.2 innings.
(Side note: The elbow is not slowing down Ohtani at the plate this year. He's slashing .299/.356/.552 with 12 homers and 35 RBIs in 174 ABs)
Now the Rays have added an Ohtani II, and I'm 100% here for this.
Gang, meet Tampa Bay two-way dude Brendan McKay, who went bagel-for-4 as the DH Monday night. The rookie left-handed pitcher got his first win Saturday with a dazzling, six-scoreless-inning, one-hit effort.
This is cool, and as we said last year when Ohtani was making it work for the Angels, the value of having guys like this on a 25-man roster in this day and age of tight pitch counts, monitored innings limits and mandated days off is tremendous.
Shoe on the other foot
Nike wanted to celebrate America's birthday.
They developed a shoe called the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July. I feel certain it was overpriced.
On the heel was the first American flag, which features 13 stars and is credited to Betsy Ross.
Nike kiboshed the release of said shoe because Colin Kaepernick said he and others were offended by the flag's reference to a time that slavery was legal in the U.S.
What, from the era of the birth of our nation, can we reference without crossing a racial line these days? I ask earnestly rather than sarcastically.
What about American history can we celebrate without fear of crossing some imaginary line of inappropriateness?
Is George Washington OK? What about Thomas Jefferson, who was one of the founding fathers and arguably the most important and influential architect of this great nation but reportedly had relations with slave women?
Fire away Chas about my 'anti-PC' tendencies and I'm happy to take it.
I'm just curious if all things from the birth of a nation - which we'll celebrate in two days - could be viewed offensive under that same Kaepernick perspective.
This and that
- Speaking of Shohei Ohtani, he has asked to be in the Home Run Derby, and while his 12 dingers certainly are not leading either league, if Ohtani brings the international eyeballs to the party it will be the most-watched Home Run Derby ever. So there's that.
- Buckets, the 5-at-10 has failed you, loyal readers. Did you know that last Thursday was the 30th anniversary of Seinfeld. Seriously. And I missed it. Think of the Rushmore of possibilities, never mind a top-30 list of Seinfeld-related things. My bad.
- Former USC coach John Robinson has joined Ed Orgeron's staff at LSU. It's a great hire now. It's an all-time hire in 1979, when Orgeron was 18. It also leaves a few questions: First, did you realize that John Robinson was still alive? Second, does he get man Orgeron translator for the first few weeks on the gig? Great addition, no, Husky Anakin?
- Speaking of corporate decisions, did you see the Ford dealership in Alabama that was giving away a Bible, an American flag and a gift certificate for a shotgun was told to stop the giveaway by Ford Motor Co.? As long as all the proper guidelines and checklists were followed in OK-ing the shotgun, what's the issue. According to news reports like this one, Ford said that the promotion was inappropriate after a worker in a California dealership killed two employees last week before killing himself. With that type of loose connection, is Ford going to stop selling cars since there are so many deaths in wrecks around the country? So it goes.
- Uh, James McMahon to Human Resources. James McMahon to Human Resources please. McMahon, a recruiting manager for Chicago Search Group, sent Connie Cheung's resume to his boss and friend with the one sentence: "Me love you long time." Oy. It's a line from "Full Metal Jacket that became part of a 2 Live Crew rap song that is over-the-top offensive to almost every ear. Worse yet for ol' James was he also copied Connie on email, and this puppy has gone viral. Here's betting James gets fired this time - real quick.
Today's questions
True or false on a fun Tuesday.
True or false, dynasties and super teams are good for sports.
True or false, in a decade, there will be at least 20 pitchers/hitters in the MLB.
True or false, considering that the Golden State Warriors retired Kevin Drant's number after three mercenary seasons, the only fair way to honor Steph Curry when he retires is to change the franchise's name to the Golden State Stephs.
As for today, July 2, let's review.
Kind of a big day in history. The Continental Congress was doing it's thing in 1776. LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law 55 years ago today.
Dang, the first Wal-Mart opened on this day in 1962. The spaces on Amsted revolted on this day in 1839.
Thurgood Marshall would have been 111 today.
"Godfather" author Mario Puzo died on this day in 1999. If we start there, what are the best film adaptations of books on the Rushmore? Go.